Support for insulators



Dec. 16, 1952 A. B. BUSSMANN 3 SUPPORTFOR INSULATORS Filed Sept. 20,1946 2 SHEETS--SHEET 1 20 I ZR III l INVENTOR. 1H0 L/S/US Bffiussmannaet mw A TTa/r IVE Y 1952 A. B. BUSSMANN 2,621,881

SUPPORT FOR INSULATORS Filed Sept. 20 1946 2SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR. A/mflusBBuss/nann Patented Dec. 1 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICESUPPORT FOR INSULATORS Aloysius B. Bussmann, St. Louis,- Mo., assignorto Alamo Corporation, Clayton, Mo., a corporation of MissouriApplication September 20, 1946, Serial No. 698,292

2 Claims.

structures that have arcuate, multi-lateral or blade-type surfaces.

In using insulators, and in particular in using insulators for electricfences, it is desirable to provide a quick and easy method of securingthem to a post or other supporting structure. In some instances, thefence post or other supporting structure has a broad fiat surface that anail or a screw can be caused to penetrate, and against which the baseof the insulator can bear; and with such posts or supporting structures,it is possible to secure an insulator-engaging member to the posts orsupporting structures by means of nails or screws. Theinsulator-engaging member then serves to hold the insulator firmlyseated against the post or supporting structure. Where, however, theposts or other supporting structures have arcuate or multi-lateralsurfaces, it may be inconvenient or impossible to obtain firm seating ofthe insulators against the posts or supporting structures in the manneremployed where the posts or supporting surfaces have broad flat surfacesagainst which the bases of the insulators can bear; and in thoseinstances, a new type of insulator support must be provided. This newtype of insulator support must be capable of seating firmly againstposts that are of wood or metal and have arcuate or multi-lateralsurfaces. The present invention provid'es such an insulator support, andthat support can be nailed, screwed or wired against fence posts orother supporting structures that have arcuate or multi-lateral surfaces.It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved insulator support that can be nailed, screwed or wired to fenceposts or other supporting structures that have arcuate' or multilateralsurfaces.

It is sometimes desirable to use a post or other supporting structurewhich has a projecting blade or web, and to secure an insulator to thatblade or web. Some posts of this type have a T-shaped' cross section,some have an L-shaped cross section, some are U-shaped in cross section,and some have still different cross More particularly, this sections. Tobe completelyversatile, an insulator support should be constructed toseat firmly against any and all of these posts or supporting structures.Moreover, the insulator support should be capable of being seated invarious positions on these posts or other supporting structures. Thepresent invention provides such an insulator support, and it is,therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an insulatorsupport that can be seated against posts or other supporting structuresthat have T-shaped, L-shaped', U-shaped and other cross sections.

The insulator support of the present invention has a seating memberwhich has a substantially plane surface that serves as a bearing surfacefor the base of the insulator; and the seating member also has adownwardly depending flange or skirt which is adapted to engage thesurface of the fence post or other supporting structure. To make thisskirt capable of being seated firmly in contact with any one of a numberof different types and shapes of posts or supporting structures, theskirt is provided with two oppositely disposed indentations of varyingdepth that extend upwardly from a theoretical plane embracing thosepoints of the.

skirt most remote from the plane surface and extend toward said planesurface. In addition, the skirt has two relatively narrow rectangularslots that are oppositely disposed of the, skirt, and are alternatedwith the indentations of the skirt, and that extend upwardly from thesaid plane and extend toward the plane surface of the seating member.The slots and indentations in the skirt of the seating member permit theinsulator support to engage and be firmly seated against posts .orsupporting structures of almost any cross section. It is, therefore, anobject of the present invention to provide an insulator support with aseating member which has a substantially plane insulator-engagingsurface and a downwardly depending flange with alternated upwardlyextending indentations and upwardly extending narrow rectangular slots.

The seating member of the insulator support of the present inventionalso has a. centrallylocated opening in the plane surfacethereof and anupwardly extending annular projectiongthat surrounds the opening andspaces the insulatorengaging member from the substantially planeinsulator-engaging surface of the seating member. This upwardlyextending annular projection makes it easy for the insulator to be-threaded onto the insulator-engaging member;

and the opening makes it possible to use nails, screws or wiresinterchangeably in securing the insulator-engaging member to the post orother supporting structure. In addition, where a wire is used, theopening makes it possible for the wire that passes around and is securedto the post or supporting structure to the same wire that holds theinsulator-engaging member in assembled relation with the seating memberof the insulator support. Moreover, the upwardly extending annularprojection and the downwardly depending flange or skirt space theinsulatorengaging member from the post or other supporting structure insuch a Way that the nails, screws or wire can be inclined to the planesurface of the seating member and still not interfere with the firmseating of the insulator support against the supporting structure. Itis, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide aninsulator support with a seating member which has a centrally-locatedopening in the plane surface thereof and an upwardly extending annularprojection that surrounds the opening and spaces the insulator-engagingmember from the plane surface of the seating member.

Where a wire is used to secure the insulatorengaging member and theseating member to a post or other supporting structure, it is necessaryfor that wire to pass through the post or along the outer surface ofthat post. Moreover, where the wire passes along the outer surface ofthe post, that wire must not interfere with the firm seating of theinsulator support against the post. The alternated indentations andslots of the present invention make it possible for the insulatorsupport to be seated firmly against the post although theinsulator-engaging member is secured to the post by a wire that passesalong theouter surface of the post; and they do this by having theportions adjacent the indentations bear against the post while the slotsreceive the wire, or by having the portions adjacent the slots bearagainst the post while the indentations receive the wire. It istherefore an object of the present invention to provide an insulatorsupport that can be firmly seated against a post although theinsulator-engaging member is secured to the post by a wire that passesalong the outer surface of that post.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention should becomeapparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanyingdescription.

In the drawing and accompanying description, a preferred embodiment ofthe invention is shown and described but it is to be understood that thedrawing and accompanying description are for the purposes ofillustration only and do not limit the invention and that the inventionwill be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a seating member embodying theprinciples and teachings of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the seating member shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the seating member shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a preformed wire that is used withthe seating member of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an insulatorengaging member used withthe seating member of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the insulator 4 support of the presentinvention which includes the seating member of Fig. 1, the preformedwire of Fig. 4, and the insulator engaging-member of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the insulator support of Fig. 6, and itshows that insulator support secured to a fence post of T-shapedconfiguration, and it shows an insulator secured to the insulatorsupport,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view which shows the insulator support of Fig. 6securing an insulator to an L-shaped fence post,

Fig. 9 is a perspective View which shows the insulator support of Fig. 6securing an insulator to a U-shaped fence post, and

Fig. 10 is a perspective View which shows the insulator support of Fig.6 securing an insulator to a fence post with a curved edge.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral 20 denotes asubstantially plane upper surface on the seating member shown in Figs.1-3, 22 denotes the skirt or flange that extends down from the planesurface 29, and the numeral 24 denotes two oppositely disposed arcuateindentations of the skirt 22 that extend upwardly from a theoreticalplane embracing those points of the skirt 22 most remote from the planesurface 20, and that extend toward the plane surface 20. The numeral 26denotes two oppositely disposed substantially rectangular slots that areformed in the skirt 22 and that extend upwardly from said theoreticalplane and extend toward the plane surface 23. The slots 26 alternatewith the indentations 24. Formed in the center of the plane surface 23of the seating member is an opening 28, and formed around the opening 23is an upwardly extending annular projection 33. The seating member ofFigs. 1-3 is preferably made of a single piece of metal and it may bemade in several ways; one particularly useful way is to punch thesupport out of a piece of metal.

Formed from a piece of wire that is relatively stiff, but has sufficientflexibility to be twisted as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, is a U-shapedelement 32. As indicated in Fig. 6, the legs of the element 32 can, ifdesired, be bent so the span of the legs is greater than the diameter ofthe opening 23 in the seating member. Such a construction is highlydesirable because after the legs of the U-shaped element 32 have passedthrough the openings 36 of the insulator-engaging member 34 and havepassed through the opening 28 in the seating member, the legs can beforced apart and will have sufficient stiffness to remain apart and holdthe insulator-engaging member 34 in assembled relation with the seatingelement and the preformed element 32. This permits the assembledinsulator support of Fig. 6 to be handled as a unit during packaging,shipment, sale and installation.

In addition to having the two openings 36 therethrough, theinsulator-engaging member 34 has a notch 38 at the periphery thereof.The edges of the notch 38 form the leading and trailing edges of ahelix, which helix constitutes the periphery of the insulator-engagingmember 34. This helix is so dimensioned that it will thread into thethreaded recesses of the insulators 4!] shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10.

The insulator support of the present invention is very versatile; it canbe used on fence posts of various configurations, and it can be securedto fence posts by two nails or two screws instead of the wire 32 asshown in the drawing. As a assign:

matter of fact, where the fence post is made-"of woods the nails: or"screwscan be desirable; but

where the fen'ce' post is .of metal and is not per mrated, the wireis-usually desirable.

Reference to Fig. 7 indicates that where the insulator-support is to beused with a fence post ofT- shaped configuration and: where the slots-2E of the seating'mem ber have awidth equal tothe thickness of the bladeof the post, the slots 26- wi'll telesccpe over one of the projectingblades or webs of the post and will. thus prevent displacement of theinsulator support relative to the fence'post. At such time theindentations 24- of varying depth permit the legs of the preformedelement 32 to pass between the seating member and the fence post to the:rear of the post where they can be twisted together, as showninthedrawing, to secure the insulator support to the ost. Where the insulatorsupportis to be used one fence of L-shaped or U-shap'edi configuration,-as indicated in Figs. 8 and- 9, the poi-5 tionsof the skirt 22" adjacentindentations "24 will bear against the outer surface of the fence post,and the slots 26 will permit the legs of the wire 32 to pass between thepost and the seating member and to be twisted together at the rear ofthe fence post. In Fig. 10, the manner in which an insulator support isattached to a fence post with a curved edge is shown; and in thisinstallation the slots 26 telescope over the'curved edge of the fencepost, and the indentations 24 permit the Wire 32 to pass between theseating member and the fence post and to be twisted together in. therearof the fence post.

Examination of Figs. 7, 8, 9 and discloses that the insulator support ofthe present invention can seat itself against fence posts of differentconfigurations. Where the fence posts have a projecting blade orweb, asdo the fence posts in Figs. 7 and 10, the closed ends of the slots 26will bear against theedges of the blades or webs and the sides oftheslots 26 will bear against the sides of the blade or web. By doing sothe closed ends and the sides of the slots 26 limit movement of theinsulator support relative to these posts, which posts may be referredto as blade-type posts. Where the fence posts have a multi-lateralsurface or an arcuate surface, as do the fence posts of Figs. 8 and 9,the portions of the skirt 22 adjacent indentations 24 will bear againstseveral points on the surface of the posts. By doing so, those portionsof skirt 22 limit movement of the insulator support relative to theseposts. The indentations 24 are shown as being arcuate to enable theseating member to bear firmly against posts with arcuate ormulti-lateral surfaces. As a matter of fact, the indentations 24 mayequally as well have straight sides that form a notch or may have sidesformed by various combinations of straight and curved lines to provideindentations of varying depth that will facilitate seating of theinsulator support against various posts or supporting structures.Moreover, while the seating member of Figs. 1-3 is shown with twoarcuate indentations and two rectangular slots to make a total of fourindentations, that seating member can be made with more than fourindentations if desired, and those indentations can have any desiredconfiguration.

In using theinsulator support of the present invention, theinsulator-engaging member 34 is telescoped over the ends of the legs ofthe U- shaped wire 32. Thereafter, the legs of the wire 32 are insertedthrough the central opening 28 of the seating member; and once this hasbeen done, the-legs of the element 32', can, if desired, be" spreadapartto hold the insulator-engaging member 34 the seating member, andthe wire 32 in: assembled relation. While in. this assembled relation,the three elements can easily be packaged and sold as a unit. Thus a;compact item which is easily handled and can be secured to a post withease; All that need be done is to spread the legs of the wire 3-2 toagreater extent, slip those legs around the fence post, pull the seatingmember up against thesurface of the post in the manner shown in Figs.-7,: 8; 9 or 10, and then twist the legs of wire 32,- either by hand orby means of a pair of pliers. The twisting of the legs of wire 32 face20 of the insulator support, and will pressthe skirt 2'2-into intimateengagement with the surface of the post.

The annular projection 30 maintain a minimal distance surface 20*of theseating member and the insulator-engaging member 34-. This enables theinsulator tobe threaded onto and threaded off of theinsulator-engagingmember 34 withconsiderable ease, and italso enablesthe insulatorengaging member 34 threads of the recess inthe base of theinsulator 43. By having the insulator-engaging member 34 spaced from theplane surface 20 of the seating member by the gently rounded annularprojection 30, and by having the skirt 22 depending downwardly from-theplane surface 20' of the seating member, the present invention holds theinsulator-engaging member 34 at a distance from the post and permits theinsulatorsuppo'rit to seat firmly against the post even though the wire32 is at an angle to th epost.

The plane surface 2001? the insulator support is shown as a wide annularsurface that receives the base of the insulator 40'. However, thedimensions and shape of that surface can be changed considerably but thesurface should be capable of providing adequate support for the base ofthe insulator 40. Where this is done the rotation of the insulator 40,relative to the insulator-engaging member 34, will increase the tensionin the twisted wire 32 and can seat the skirt of the seating member evenmore firmly against the fence post with which it is assem- In thedrawing, four fence posts of the type now in use are shown anddescribed, but it is to be understood that the insulator support of thepresent invention can be used with many different posts of theblade-type or of the type which have multi-lateral or arcuate surfaces.In Figs. 7-10 the seating members are shown bearing against the posts atpoints which are spaced apart along the three dimensions, thusillustrating how the seating members fixedly secure the insulators 40 tovarious posts to which the insulators 40 by themselves could not be sosecured. In Fig. 7 the insulator support is shown secured to thevertically-disposed blade or web of the post but it could equally aswell be secured to one or the other of the horizontally disposed bladesor webs of that post. Similarly, the insulator supports of Figs. 8 and 9are shown secured to the backs of the posts of L-shaped and U-shapedconfiguration, but they could equally as well be secured to theblade-like edges of those posts. Where this is done the slots, ratherthan the indentations, would telescope the user has is dimensioned: tobetween the planeto engage the innermost over the projecting surface ofthe post. It will be noted that the slots 26 of the insulator supportsof Figs. 8 and 9 are wider than the edges of the posts in Figs. 8 and 9are thick; but this will not keep those insulator supports from beingseated firmly against those edges, because suflicient friction can beestablished between the edge of the post and one side and the closed endof each slot to hold the insulator support in position. As a matter offact, the insulator support can be maintained in position by theengagement between the edge of the post and the closed ends of the slotsalong where the edge of the post is fairly flat. Moreover, the insulatorsupport cannot become dislodged since the sides of the slots 26definitely limit tilting of the supports; and once the support hastilted until a side of the slot engages the edge of the post it will beheld there by the tension in the wire. In each instance, whether theindentations or the slots telescope over the projecting surface of thepost, the insulator support will provide a plurality of points ofsupport radially spaced in different directions from the point at whichforce is applied to the seating member.

Whereas a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shownand described in the drawing and accompanying description, it should beobvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made inthe form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. An insulator support that comprises an insulator-engaging member, aseating member and a wire that are assembled together for direct andimmediate securement to a post, said insulatorengaging member beingdirectly engageable with an insulator, said seating member beingdirectly engageable with said insulator and with saidinsulator-engaging, member and with said post, said seating memberhaving an opening therethrough, said wire being preformed to have aU-shape, said wire being engageable with said insulator-engaging memberand with said seating member and with said post, said wire having thelegs thereof extending through said opening in said seating member, saidwire being bendable to give the legs thereof a span which is greaterthan the diameter of said opening in said seating member and thusmaintain said wire and said insulator-engaging member and said seatingmember in assembled relation, said insulator-engaging member directlyengaging said seating member whenever said wire is tightened around saidpost to hold said insulator-engaging member and said seating memberfixed relative to said post for receiving an insulator.

2. An insulator support as claimed in claim 1 in which the seatingmember has a flat surface and a depending skirt, said skirt beingprovided with spaced substantially rectangular slots extending from anedge of the skirt toward said surface, and having arcuate indentationsin the edge of said skirt disposed in alternate relation with saidslots.

ALOYSIUS B. BUSSMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 698,865 Smith et al Apr. 29, 1902871,490 Duncan Nov. 19, 1907 1,175,849 Warren Mar. 14, 1916 1,710,157Felix Apr. 23, 1929 1,802,995 Williams Apr. 28, 1931 2,107,037Kippenberg et al. Feb. 1, 1938 2,278,852 Hoffman Apr. 7, 1942 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 550,254 Great Britain of 1942

